Page 199 of Unbound

But no response comes, and cold starts to drift up my spine.

An earth elemental erupts from the ground—a massive boar of living stone, tusks sharp enough to gore. A tall student with a green earth mark steps into view behind it.

"Found one," he calls to someone unseen, voice chillingly casual. "It's Thorne."

Two more students emerge from the trees—a water and an air, elementals at their sides. The air's falcon circles overhead, its wings leaving magical contrails of mist. The water's jellyfish pulses with menacing light.

"Three against one," the earth says, smiling. "Malakai said to bring you back alive if possible. Dead if necessary."

Fear bites at me, and I feel the first pang of worry through the tether. It's not from Typhon. It's Raith.

He's feeling my fear, and I can sense his desperation to reach me no matter the cost. I try to calm my fear so I don't worry him or force him to be reckless in getting to me, but it's no use.

I reach for every element around me—moisture from the air, heat from the plants and trees around me, earth beneath my feet, the breeze rustling through the leaves. Power flows, waiting to be shaped.

"I don't want to fight you," I say, buying time, stretching my senses through the forest. Raith's concern for me joins my heartbeat as a frantic, pulsing awareness.

The earth laughs. "No shit. I wouldn’t want to fight three on one either. Hurry up. Get her.”

They attack in unison—the boar charging, the falcon diving, the jellyfish sending tendrils of water whipping toward me. I jump back, acting on pure instinct. I know their tokens will stop my attacks from being lethal, so I don't hold back.

Typhon darts between me and the three elementals, skillfully zipping through the air as he uses powerful water jets to distract and enrage the creatures, leaving me to focus on the people.

I press both palms together, forming water and making it spin outward before I harden it into a razor-sharp disc. I fling it at the earth affinity, who jumps out of the way just before it hammers past him, slicing a tree at the base.

Before the tree has even begun to tip over, I’ve summoned a spear of water and hurled it at the air affinity, but her falcon disengages from Typhon, diving in front and taking the spear in the wing with a shriek of pain.

I’m already almost empty of water essence, though, and the three students are slowly advancing on me, eyes full of murder.

An idea forms, and I don’t hesitate.

I use all my air essence to form a disc of air beside a tree several feet to my right. It’s difficult shaping and controlling it at such a distance, but I manage to fling it toward the group.

It misses horribly, but it does the job. All three pause, staring toward the trees. “Who’s there?” the earth asks.

I reach out to the other side and form a magical ball of fire and fling it at them. By pure luck, it nearly hits the earth, who dodges at the last second.

"You thought I was alone?" I try. If this goes my way, I'll only be triggering stasis. These three will live to tell what they saw. But I can use my unbound powers to make them think they’re surrounded by more students.

The earth takes a step back, head swiveling. "Come out. Cowards. Come out and fucking face us."

"Cowards?" I ask. "You're the ones who started a fight three against one. Or so you thought"

The earth forms a spike of rock in his hand and then throws it at me. Once it's in the air, it fragments into a swarm of small, piercing shards all screaming toward me.

I try to raise a shield of solid water, but I don’t have enough essence left to make it solid. It only slows the projectiles. They punch through, one cutting across my arm like a hot blade as others bite into me, drawing blood.

I hiss in pain, falling to one knee as I clutch the worst wound on my arm. Blood squeezes free, dripping to disappear into the mist.

"Enough,"Typhon growls in my mind.

"Not yet," I warn. "Just keep the elementals from surprising me."

Reluctantly, Typhon continues to dart in and out of his fight with the elementals.

I feel myself automatically beginning to heal. But the power doesn't come for free. I'm already low on water, air, and fire essence. Already almost unable to perform more magic after just a few displays of power.

Unless...

---